The lateral approach to the proximal popliteal artery for popliteal to anterior tibial artery bypass.

The exposure of the proximal popliteal artery through a lateral incision for bypasses to the anterior tibial artery is simple and logical. It avoids the need to direct the graft from the medial to the lateral side of the leg and, therefore, is advantageous when limited autogenous vein is available. The lesser saphenous vein is usually long enough to reach the most distal anterior tibial artery.